


Parasite Legacy

by DividedWeFall88



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Emotional Manipulation, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra)'s A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:01:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25372078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DividedWeFall88/pseuds/DividedWeFall88
Summary: Before the final battle against Horde Prime, Shadow Weaver gives Castaspella one final message to pass on to the girls she raised. But Castaspella is torn, do Catra and Adora deserve to know the truth? should she risk giving Shadow Weaver one final opportunity to hurt them from beyond the grave?
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 100





	Parasite Legacy

**Author's Note:**

> The following is a fan parody. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is owned by Noelle Stevenson and DreamWorks and Licensed by Netflix. Please support the official release.
> 
> This story takes place during and immediately after the Series Finale.

It had only been a few hours since Adora had received the Failsafe, Catra had run away again, and Adora told Shadow Weaver that she ruined everything (and everyone) around her. While most of the rebels still at the hideout were trying to get a little sleep before the big mission to save the world, the dark sorceress was quietly getting drunk. So that when Castaspella (known to her friends and family as Casta) finally came across Shadow Weaver, the older woman was quite tipsy.

“Care to join me for a drink dear?” the former teacher said as she held out a wine glass to her fellow sorceress.

“Are you drunk?” Casta said in shock and disgust.

“I’m getting there” Shadow Weaver admitted with unusual candor.

“What about the mission Shadow Weaver? Do you care so little about us and yourself that you’re not even bothering to stay sober for it?” Castaspella demanded to know.

“Adora has made it plain that she doesn’t want me to come…and Queen Glimmer agrees with her” Shadow Weaver said bitterly.

Castaspella had hated Shadow Weaver for a long time. Back when Casta was a student at Mystacor and Shadow Weaver (then known as Light Spinner) was a teacher, she had disliked the older woman for the favoritism she showed towards the most gifted students and the contempt she treated all the other students (such as Castaspella) with. Casta had come to genuinely hate Shadow Weaver when the sorceress had convinced her brother Micah (one of the teacher’s favorites) to help her with an extremely dangerous bit of dark magic, and almost gotten Micah killed. Then she had began to truly loath Shadow Weaver when the sorceress had defected to the Horde and played a vital role in that group’s campaign of conquest.

But despite her hatred for Shadow Weaver, Castaspella had always respected the older woman’s intelligence, determination, and skill. She thought of Shadow Weaver as composed, careful, and cunning. So it was more than a bit surprising to see Shadow Weaver sitting on the ground, her crimson robes covered in dirt, drinking wine straight from the bottle, feeling sorry for herself.

“No it has to be more than that…you wouldn’t be drinking yourself into a stupor just because they told you that you couldn’t come” Casta finally said after an awkward pause.

“Adora said that I ruin people that I ruin everything…Adora and Catra have never understood that everything I did was for their benefit” Shadow Weaver complained.

Then Castaspella did something that surprised the older woman, she laughed in her face.

Shadow Weaver had not said anything that funny. It just seemed so ridiculously absurd that with the fate of the world in the balance, the odds stacked against them, and so many of their friends and allies already enthralled by the enemy, Shadow Weaver was drinking alone and feeling sorry for herself because the girls she had raised (and abused) did not ‘appreciate’ all that she had done for them.

“Do you find my situation amusing Castaspella?...perhaps you shouldn’t be so quick to judge considering-” Shadow Weaver started to angrily reply, only to be interrupted by the younger woman (who had already heard more than enough of Shadow Weaver’s manipulative words, subtle digs, and outright insults at this point to last a lifetime).

“NO ONE thinks that you actually care about Adora or Catra…you’re sending Adora on a suicide mission because you were afraid to do it yourself…and based on everything I’ve heard from Glimmer and Adora about Catra you tormented that girl her whole life.”

“OF COURSE I CARE ABOUT THEM! Catra is the daughter that fate handed to me and Adora is the daughter I chose” Shadow Weaver angrily shot back as she stood up and glared down at Castaspella.

Casta knew that Shadow Weaver was a natural manipulator. She knew that she could not trust anything the treacherous woman said. But Castaspella was also a curious person. So despite her own better judgment she found herself asking “what do you mean?…Adora is the daughter that you chose and Catra is the daughter that fate handed to you?”

Shadow Weaver seemed to struggle with the question for a moment. Then she appeared to reach some sort of decision. Deciding that there was no point in keeping it a secret any longer.

“I don’t know where Adora came from before Hordak brought her to the Fright Zone…but from the moment I saw her I sensed power within the child…I knew that with the proper guidance Adora could reach her full potential and that we could do great things together…so I decided to raise her as my own rather than leaving her in the communal nursery with the other babies.”

Castaspella frowned as she heard the story. Realizing that Light Spinner might have changed much less than everyone thought when she became Shadow Weaver. Because it appeared even after defecting to the enemy the sorceress still sought out the young and gifted, to manipulate and bend to her will.

“What about Catra…how did fate ‘hand’ you her?” Casta asked.

“The Spell of Obtainment wounded me far more than most people realize…when I first came to the Fright Zone I was dying…I joined the Horde because I knew that they had a Runestone without a princess bonded to it…rightfully assuming that with the power of the Black Garnet I could at least stop myself from getting any weaker…unfortunately forcing a connection with the Black Garnet proved to be both difficult and time consuming…making me desperate enough to use a restoration spell that called for the blood of your firstborn even though I had no children yet” Shadow Weaver explained.

“Catra is your biological daughter” Castaspella realized aloud.

“Yes” Shadow Weaver admitted.

“Who is the father?” the younger woman asked, knowing Shadow Weaver well enough to guess that this story wouldn’t have a happy ending.

“Simply a Horde soldier that caught my eye…after he ‘serviced’ his commanding officer and I knew I was with child I sent him on a dangerous mission he never came back from” Shadow Weaver replied. All but admitting that she had sent Catra’s father on a suicide mission once she was done with him without the slightest trace of guilt.

“Wait…something about this story doesn’t add up” Casta thought as she looked at Shadow Weaver.

“If you were already dying how could your body survive the stress of pregnancy?” Castaspella asked.

“It was quite simple actually…I used a bit of dark magic so that the baby’s lifeforce would bolster my own” Shadow Weaver answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

“You fed off your own unborn child’s lifeforce!” the younger woman said in shock and horror as she stared at the rogue sorceress’s masked face.

“We both survived and Catra suffered no permanent damage” Shadow Weaver replied with a shrug.

“My gods Shadow Weaver has been literally using and abusing her own daughter since before Catra was even born!” Castaspella thought with revulsion.

“Since you and Catra obviously didn’t die I assume the Restoration Spell only called for a little of the baby’s blood and that it worked” Casta said as she mentally digested the fact that even her mother’s womb hadn’t been a safe place for Catra.

“Yes…the Restoration Spell restored me to full health though it couldn’t erase the scars or free me from the parasite inside me that I received as a result of the Spell of Obtainment…but the effect didn’t last…thanks to the parasite I soon began to grow weak again…I used the Restoration Spell several times after that…but each time it had less and less effect…eventually it did nothing at all” Shadow Weaver admitted.

“So you’re not actually the magical parasite…it’s the creature you summoned when you cast the Spell of Obtainment that possessed you afterwards” Castaspella asked, morbidly curious despite herself.

“Yes and no…the otherworldly entity I summoned cannot easily exist in our Realm…it needs magic the way that we need air…even Mystacor barely had enough magic to sustain it…in order to survive in our world it bonded with me…now its as much a part of me as my vital organs…but that doesn’t stop it from slowly draining the life from me if I do not consume enough magic to satisfy it” the former teacher explained.

“So once you established the connection with the Black Garnet you were able to use its magic to keep yourself alive” Castaspella thought aloud.

“Yes…which was fortunate because by that point the Restoration Spell was useless” Shadow Weaver confirmed.

“Why are you telling me this?” Casta demanded to know. Because it was out of character for someone as proud and secretive as Shadow Weaver to reveal the skeletons in her closet like this. Moreover, even if it wasn’t, she and Castaspella were hardly friends.

“Because Adora might not survive tomorrow which would mean that my only remaining legacy would be Catra…so I want her to know where she comes from…that I am her mother” Shadow Weaver told the fellow sorceress (sounding sincere for once).

“Why not just tell her yourself then” Castaspella asked.

“I need you to do it because I don’t think that Catra would believe me if I told her” Shadow Weaver confessed.

“I’m not sure I believe it” Castaspella admitted.

Shadow Weaver responded by pulling out some of her own hairs and handing them to Castaspella.

“Here…you can use these to do a DNA test or Maternity Spell…either one will confirm that I’m Catra’s mother” Shadow Weaver explained.

The younger sorceress looked at the black hairs in her hand. She would definitely cast the Maternity Spell before telling Catra anything. And considering what a skillful manipulator Shadow Weaver was it would probably be a good idea to ask Princess Entrapta or Bow to do a DNA test too.

“Why ask me though? Why not Glimmer or Adora?” Castaspella wondered aloud.

“Adora and Glimmer won’t even speak to me right now” Shadow Weaver admitted.

As she stared at the woman who had terrified and traumatized generations of children Castaspella realized the truth. Thanks to all her defections and betrayals (as well as her toxic personality) Shadow Weaver had driven off any friends or family she ever had. Castaspella (who hated the dark sorceress) was the closest thing to a friend that Shadow Weaver had left.

“Casta please…if not for me then for Catra” Shadow Weaver pleaded as she reached out towards the younger woman.

Castaspella swatted the hand aside as she replied, “only my friends and family can call me Casta and your neither.”

“Castaspella I know were not close but all I’m asking you to do is fulfill a dying old woman’s last request” Shadow Weaver begged as pitifully as she could.

“What do you mean that you’re dying?…I thought Adora healed you?” Casta said in confusion.

“She did…but without access to a source of power like the Black Garnet my…inner demon has begun to slowly drain the life from me once again” Shadow Weaver explained.

“That’s why you need Etheria’s magic to be unshackled…having magic everywhere is the only way that you can ever survive without being dependent on a Runestone…you were never interested in defeating Horde Prime at all” Castaspella thought aloud, glaring at Shadow Weaver as she figured out the other woman’s true motives.

“Of course I want to defeat Horde Prime…I have no interest in becoming that monster’s mindless slave…the fact that unleashing Etheria’s true magic potential should allow me to live comfortably is simply a bonus” Shadow Weaver said reasonably (her pleading tone from a moment ago completely gone).

“I can’t believe I was ever stupid enough to trust you again” Casta said in disgust as she turned to leave.

“CASTASPELLA WAIT! Even if you think that I am a monster and my motives are completely selfish doesn’t Catra deserve to know where she came from? Are you going to deprive her of that simply because you don’t like me?” the magical parasite asked.

Castaspella had no good answer to that. So after mulling over it for a moment she finally said, “You were wrong about Adora and Catra.”

“What?” Shadow Weaver exclaimed, not sure what Casta was getting at.

“It sounds like Fate or at least Hordak handed you Adora…but Catra is the one that you chose to have for your own selfish reasons…she’s the one whose been helping you since before she was even born…you should have kept that in mind when you were raising her” Castaspella replied coldly.

Then Castaspella turned her back on the old parasite and left.

*****

Not long after Castaspella’s conversation with Shadow Weaver, Adora tried to reach the Heart of Etheria to activate the Failsafe (despite knowing that it might kill her). But by then Horde Prime had already used his superior alien technology to hack the First One’s facility where the Heart was housed. Unfortunately, the facility’s security system was powerful enough to stop even the mighty She-Ra in her tracks.

When all hope seemed lost Catra (accompanied by Shadow Weaver) rejoined her childhood friend. Then to the shock of both girls, the harsh woman who raised them sacrificed her life so that they could reach the Heart together. Where Catra helped Adora activate the Heart and release Etheria’s magic. With the full power of Etheria’s magic at her disposal, She-Ra was able to destroy Horde Prime and end his reign of terror forever.

In the aftermath of their victory spontaneous celebrations broke out all over Etheria. While a giddy Catra and Adora announced that they were a couple now (and Adora told everyone that Catra shared the credit for defeating Horde Prime). But there was no sign of Shadow Weaver.

“What happened to Shadow Weaver? Did she betray you and try to take all the magic for herself?” Castaspella asked after she managed to separate Adora and Catra from all their friends and well wishers long enough to question them for a minute.

Both girls looked uncomfortable and sad after Castaspella asked the question, and the sorceress naturally assumed the Shadow Weaver had done something terrible.

“No…she saved us…Shadow Weaver sacrificed herself so that we could reach the Heart” Adora admitted as she looked down at the bottom of the tent that they were standing in.

“She told me that I was weak and worthless my whole life then she said that she was proud of me just before she died…who does that?...why couldn’t she say it before?” Catra murmured softly, her ears and tail drooping sadly.

“Castaspella you knew her…do…do you think she meant it when she said that she was proud of me?” the catgirl asked, looking incredibly young and vulnerable as she stared at Casta.

Castaspella honestly wasn’t sure. If you had asked her yesterday she would have said that Shadow Weaver wasn’t capable of caring about somebody other than herself. But she also would have said that Shadow Weaver would never sacrifice herself for anyone.

But Casta was not a cruel woman (and besides, Horde Prime likely would have won if Catra hadn’t helped Adora activate the Heart) so she replied “of course…Shadow Weaver wasn’t the type to freely hand out unearned praise.”

Then Castaspella frowned as she asked “would you mind if I took a couple hairs from each of you?...I just want to do some tests to make sure that neither of you are suffering any side effects from being exposed to all the concentrated magic of the Heart.”

Which was true, but Casta also needed Catra’s hairs to use the Maternity spell (and perhaps get Entrapta to do a DNA test too). But it was just a few hairs, and they (or at least Adora) trusted her. So both girls complied with Castaspella’s request.

Because Casta did genuinely want to make sure that the saviors of Etheria were all right, she tested their hairs first see if exposure to the Heart had had any adverse effects on Catra or Adora. Thankfully, nothing appeared to be wrong. Both girls seemed to be perfectly healthy.

Then Castaspella decided to cast the Maternity Spell.

The sorceress was hoping that it would come back negative. Then she could simply dismiss everything Shadow Weaver had told her the night before as lies. But it appeared that for once, the old manipulator had been telling the truth.

However, Castaspella knew (as much as she didn’t want to admit it) that Shadow Weaver had been a more skilled magic user than she was. So she wanted a second opinion before she told Catra. And there was only one person she trusted with a matter like this.

Her brother King Micah.

She found her brother celebrating with some of the princesses. Her dear brother was still haughted by what he had endured during his long exile to Beast Island, so it was good to see him happy for once. But Casta felt like if she put this off now, she would never find the nerve to do it again.

“Micah can I speak to you for moment?…in private” the sorceress asked her royal brother.

“Of course…what is it Casta?” the king said as he allowed his sister to drag him away from the party.

“I need your expertise…could you please cast a Maternity Spell for me?…I just wanted to determine if these people are related” Casta explained.

Emotions could have a powerful effect when channeling magic, so strong emotions sometimes affected spells. Spells cast by the inexperienced and/or unskilled frequently failed because the sorcerers in question couldn’t control their emotions. King Micah was neither of those things (he was actually an even more powerful and skilled mage than Shadow Weaver had ever been), but he was extremely biased when it came to his old teacher. So Casta decided not to tell him until after he performed the spell.

“These hairs definitely belong to a mother and daughter…I would say the black hairs come from the mother and the brown came from the daughter” Micah concluded after he finished the test.

“Now why did you ask me to come with you to the middle of nowhere to perform a spell that you could have easily done yourself?” the sorcerer said curiously as he gestured at the section of a the Whispering Woods Castaspella had brought him to.

So Casta told her brother everything.

As Micah heard his sister explain how and why Shadow Weaver had conceived Catra, the lines on his face visibly deepened. Appearing to brood after Casta finished telling the tale. Quietly muttering “even your own daughter Light Spinner.”

“Should we tell Catra?” Casta asked, hoping her brother would take the responsibility off her shoulders.

King Micah was silent for a moment as he considered the question. Appearing older and more haughted to his sister than ever as he remembered all the things that Shadow Weaver had done to him and his family. Eventually quietly murmuring “no.”

“What! But doesn’t Catra deserve to know!” Castaspella replied.

“Do you know why I don’t hate Catra even though she was one that activated the portal machine which forced Angella to sacrifice herself?” the sorcerer asked his sister.

“Umm…because Catra saved Glimmer and helped She-Ra save the universe” Casta guessed.

King Micah chuckled ruefully as he replied “that’s a factor…but its mainly because I don’t blame her…I blame Light Spinner…that woman had a talent for making you think black was white and right was wrong…and that was when I was just her student…I can’t imagine how bad it was to be raised by that monster…especially in a terrible place like the Fright Zone.”

“So you think this was some sort of trick?” Casta said hopefully.

“No…the magic confirms that Shadow Weaver is-I mean was Catra’s biological mother…but I refuse to help her manipulate that poor girl from beyond the grave” Micah answered with a frown.

“But surely Catra deserves to know” Casta weakly retorted.

“Does that girl deserve to be forever linked to her childhood tormentor? Shadow Weaver only ‘sacrificed’ herself to protect her legacy and because she was dying anyway…all this was nothing more than an attempt to redeem her reputation and regain her influence over the girls she raised” the king argued, sounding more than a little angry and bitter himself (of course, that didn’t mean he was wrong).

Then Micah sighed and seemed to get ahold of himself, continuing more calmly.

“I believe that telling Catra at this point would only hurt her and give Shadow Weaver one last shot at manipulating her…so I have no intention of telling her…but your my sister and I trust your judgment Casta…so if you want to tell Catra I won’t stop you.”

The conversation ended awkwardly after that. Castaspella didn’t quite agree with her brother but couldn’t really dispute anything he said. Besides, Shadow Weaver was a sore subject for both of them. Because even after she had left her students behind her malignant influence lingered.

*****

It was a controversial decision, but the sorcerers of Mystacor eventually decided to hold a small funeral for Shadow Weaver.

Because despite her many crimes against Mystacor, the Princess Alliance, and even the people of Etheria as a whole, the sorceress had spent her last few months fighting on their side. Moreover, regardless of her motives, Shadow Weaver’s sacrifice had played a vital role in defeating Horde Prime. Besides, whatever they thought of her actions or character, Light Spinner/Shadow Weaver had still been one of their own.

The funeral took place a week after Shadow Weaver’s death (in front of Light Spinner’s statue). Given how hated the late sorceress still was by many people, they decided to make it a simple ceremony. Attended only by Queen Glimmer, her fiancé Bow, Adora, Catra, two elderly sorcerers who had been teaching at Mystacor long enough to remember their old colleague, and King Micah.

Conducting the ceremony was Castaspella (in her role as the High Sorcerer of Mystacor) herself. Solemnly speaking of Light Spinner’s achievements and her time at Mystacor. Showing respect for the rituals and ceremonies of her home, even though she felt almost none for the woman herself.

It was unlike any funeral Castaspella had attended before. No one cried or talked about how they would miss the person in question. The two elderly teachers in attendance expressed no emotion, Glimmer and Adora appeared angry, the usually cheerful Bow was uncharacteristically solemn, Micah was quietly brooding, and Catra seemed sad and confused.

Ordinarily the body was burned to ash with magical fire at the end of an official Mystacor funeral (to spare the sorcerer the indignity of decay, and symbolically return them to the magic that they had dedicated their life to). But Shadow Weaver’s body had been destroyed when she died. So the only thing they had to burn was the shattered remains of the magical parasite’s mask.

And if Castaspella took a certain grim satisfaction from burning the ‘face’ that Shadow Weaver had worn when she had exiled Casta’s brother, tortured Casta’s niece, and committed all her other atrocities as a member of the Horde, it didn’t affect how the High Sorcerer conducted the funeral. Finishing the ceremony with a flourish of fire magic, as she burned the mask to ash. Breathing a sigh of relief once her part was over, then looking at the people in attendance.

Shadow Weaver’s old colleagues left without a word the moment the ceremony was over. Glimmer and Bow were hugging and whispering to each other, and Adora was comforting Catra as the feline teenager silently wept. While Micah gave his sister a questioning look.

Telepathy was possible with magic, but it required high level spells that Castaspella had never mastered. But Casta didn’t have to be a mind reader to know what her brother was thinking right then.

“Are you going to tell Catra or not?”

But Castaspella still hadn’t made up her mind, her belief that children deserved to know where they came from conflicting with her desire not to help Shadow Weaver manipulate and/or hurt anyone else.

Catra’s pet the alien Melog (a catlike shapeshifter that Catra picked up during a recent off world adventure) appeared next to his mistress and nuzzled against her. Purring in an attempt to comfort Catra. Adora, knowing how much Catra hated showing signs of weakness in public, gently guided her girlfriend and Melog to the room that they had been assigned while they were staying in Mystacor.

Normally Castaspella would be too polite to spy on such a private and personal moment. But her curiosity and indecision prompted her to discreetly cast a minor spell as the feline teenager, blonde warrior woman, and alien shapeshifter walked away. Allowing her to hear their conversation.

“Do you think she ever really cared about us Adora?” Catra whispered.

“I don’t know…maybe” Adora answered.

“Then why did she treat me that way? Why did she treat US like that?” Catra asked (though it wasn’t clear if Catra was asking Adora or the universe at large).

Adora didn’t have a good answer, neither did Castaspella.

But Castaspella knew that regardless of Shadow Weaver’s intentions, thoughts, or motives, she had hurt both Catra and Adora deeply, and the two girls were still hurting.

So Castaspella finally decided not to tell Catra that Shadow Weaver was her mother.

It would just hurt Catra further (and probably wouldn’t help Adora either).

The woman once known as Light Spinner didn’t deserve to claim Catra as a daughter, nor should Catra be burdened with Shadow Weaver as a mother.

Let Shadow Weaver’s family line (metaphorically) die with the magical parasite.

Because as far as Castaspella was concerned, Shadow Weaver didn’t deserve a legacy.

**Author's Note:**

> While I was for the most part happy with Catra's redemption arc (and would have been disappointed if she wasn't redeemed during the final Season) Shadow Weaver's 'redemption' bothered me.
> 
> It seemed completely out of character for Shadow Weaver to sacrifice herself for somebody else, and her final words to Catra were a complete break from her previous pattern of behavior.
> 
> The only thing that made sense to me, would be if Shadow Weaver already saw her death as unavoidable, and this was a last ditch attempt to get live through her 'daughters.' Which would be the only real legacy she could expect at this point.
> 
> Actually the idea for this story occurred right after I saw Season 5 (the week it came out).  
> I meant to write it immediately, but RL problems kept getting in the way.


End file.
